FLORENCE, Ala. – Actor, producer and director Lea Thompson will be a special guest of the George Lindsey UNA Film Festival, scheduled for March 4-7, 2010. Best known for her roles in the “Back to the Future” trilogy and as the star of television’s “Caroline in the City,” Thompson will join writer and producer Bob Gale at the festival for a 25th anniversary celebration of “Back to the Future.”

A native of Minnesota, Thompson began her performance career as a professional ballet dancer, performing in more than 45 ballets with the Minnesota Dance Theatre. She moved to New York at age 20 to pursue an acting career and quickly found success in the films “Jaws 3-D,” with Dennis Quaid, and “All the Right Moves,” with Tom Cruise.

Thompson’s credits include more than 60 roles in film and television, including “Red Dawn,” “Dennis the Menace,” “The Beverly Hillbillies,” “Spy School” and John Hughes’ “Some Kind of Wonderful.”

Thompson has starred in a number of television movies, including the Showtime original movie “The Right to Remain Silent” and TNT’s original movies “Montana” and “Nightbreaker,” for which she received a CableACE award. She was the star of the NBC award-winning series “Caroline in the City.” Thompson is currently starring in the Hallmark Channel Mystery Film series entitled “Jane Doe.” She has directed two episodes – her first directorial achievements.

Thompson has just completed shooting the films “I Was a 7th Grade Dragon Slayer” and “Mayor Cupcake,” in which she had the pleasure of working with her real-life daughters, who played her daughters in the film.

Thompson also stays busy performing at charity events in Los Angeles, including the Alzheimer’s Association “Night at Sardi’s,” Breast Cancer Research’s “What a Pair,” the WeSpark Foundation and others.

Her appearance at the George Lindsey UNA Film Festival will not be Lea Thompson’s first visit to Alabama. In 1986, she spent six weeks in Huntsville filming “Space Camp,” in which she co-starred alongside other notable actors such as Kate Capshaw, Kelly Preston, Joaquin Phoenix and Tom Skerritt.

Thompson lives in Los Angeles with her husband, film director Howard Deutch, their two beautiful daughters, Madelyn and Zoey, and a menagerie of dogs, cat, parrot, fish and several horses.

Thompson joins the list of major celebrity guests who have appeared at the George Lindsey UNA Film Festival, including Lee Majors, Rance Howard, and Oscar winners Billy Bob Thornton and Ernest Borgnine.

The George Lindsey UNA Film Festival is one of the few film festivals hosted by a university. The event was founded in 1998 by UNA alumnus and celebrated actor and entertainer George Lindsey. Lindsey’s own film career has included several important roles, including the character Goober Pyle on “The Andy Griffith Show.”